Engine.



' 4 s. LAWSON.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1907.

PATENTED AUG; 18, 1908;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnesses V Inventor;

I I Samuel Liza/s07;

' B 1' At! 1 I By 1125 Attomey, I.

2 SHEETS- SEEEI 2.

72 l VftnesSes 72 lnvemolr- 7 Samuel Lawson v PATEN'TED AUG. 13, 1908.s. LAWSON.

ENGINE. APPLICATION IILED SEPT. 12, 1907.

SAMUEL LAWSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ENGINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Application filed. September 12, 1907. Serial No. 392,433.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL LAWSON, a citizen of the United States,residing in New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to .steam engines or analogous devices wherebypistons are operated by fluid pressure to cause rotation of one or moremembers, for generating power; or where, conversely, the operation ofone or more pistons from rotation of a shaft or other mechanical member,will cause the device to act as a pump for delivering fluid; and has forits object to provide an improved form of mechanism in which power isimparted to a shaft or pulley, from a reciprocating piston member,without the use of an intermediate pitman or connecting rod.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating embodiments of my invention,Figure 1 shows the engine in end elevation. Fig. 2 is a side elevationwith the outer plate of the side, casing removed, and the valve rodsbroken away. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the pistons online 33 indi cated in Fig. 2, with one valve chest partly broken. away.Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 14 indicated in Fig. 2. Fig.5 shows one of the pistons separately, in side elevation. Fig. 6 is anend view of the piston. Fig. 7 is a vertical section through one of thevalve members. Fig. 8 is a vertical section through one of the valvemembers on the line 88 indicated in Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 is a verticalsection on the line'99 indicated in Fig. 7.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, a pair ofcylinders 11 and 12 are connected by a web 13 and may be integral withthem and with a suitable frame member 1 1 having a base 15 mounted on ahousing 16. In each of the cylinders reciprocate pistons, 17 and 18,that are identical. Each cylinder has at an intermediate part, achamber, which are connected, and denoted by 19, being formed by arectangular frame 20, that is provided with a cover plate 21. Each ofthe pistons carries a guide, denoted by 22 and 23, and each has atransverse channel, 24 and 25. These guides project a certain distanceinto the chamber 19, that is sufliciently wide to permit reciprocationof the pistons; the latter being somewhat elongated so that thecylinders are .of the crank disks.

never open to the chamber. In the said chamber are pivotally mounted twocrank members, preferably formed by crank disks 54 and 55, that havetheir shafts 26 and 27 rotatable 21 for the chamber. Suitable connectingmeans are provided between the crank disks and the pistons, in thenature of crank pins, that will cause the reciprocation of the pistonsto rotate the crank disks; or vice versa, the pistons being reciprocatedupon rotation In the construction illustrated, crank pins 56 and 57 aresecured to the respective cranks, and engage blocks 58 and 59 slidablein the channels in the respective guides 22 and 23. The two cranks areset in alinement, and provided with teeth on their periphery, that meshwhereby the cranks will rotate in unison, being of the same size.

According to the relative positions of the cr ank pins when the crankmembers are caused to mesh, the two pistons will either reciprocate inunison, or will move in opposite directions. In the constructionillustrated, the crank pins are shown as set at the same relative pointsin the circumference, and in the position shown the pistons are at theintermediate part of the stroke. U on rotation of the cranks, one pistonwil move in one direction, and the other piston will advance in theopposite direction. When the crank-has advanced 90 degrees the pistonswill be at respectively opposite ends of the cylinders; and upon comletion of a half revolution, the pistons wil have returned to theintermediate position. The third quarter of the revolution will causethe pistons to move in opposite directions from the inter mediateposition to the opposite ends of the cylinder from what they justoccupied, and upon the completion of the revolution the pistons willreturn to their former intermediate position.

Suitable valve mechanism is provided for admitting the steam or otherfiuid-pressure medium to the two ends of each cylinder, and forconnecting them with an exhaust passage, which mechanism willalternately admit the steam to each of the adjacent ends and alternatelyconnect them with the eX- haust passage. Such mechanism is preferablycontrolled and operated by the engine and is shown as operated from thecrank shafts. In the drawings there is a tubular valve mechanism at eachend of the cylinder,

60 in bearings 28 and 29, formed in the cover plate and a description ofone will explain both. Each of thevalve devices 30 and 31 comprises avalve chest or casing 32 in which oscillates a tubular valve 33. Thevalve has one end closed and also has an intermediate partition 34providing aclosed chamber 35. This chamber is provided with three orts36, 37 and 38 arranged in a transverse plane. An inlet pipe 39 connectswith the casing and steam is thereby supplied to the valve oppositethese orts. In the casing are passages 40 and 41 eading to the twocylinders 11 and 12 respectively. In the position of the valve shown inFig. 8 the steam from the admission pipe 39 passes into the valvethrough port 37 and out through port 38, and through the passage 41 intothe cylinder 12. Upon turning the valve, the port 38 will be closed bythe casing while the port 37 will be brought to register with thepassage 40 to the cylinder 11; and the port 36 will register with theinlet passage 39. Such movement of the valve will close the cylinder 12and open the cylinder 11 to the steam.

At the other end of the valve member, it is open to an exhaust passage42, and the valve contains a single port 43. This port is alternatelyconnected with the cylinders 11 and 12, by passages 44 and 45 in thevalve casing, with which the port 43 is alternately brought to register.It will be understood that when steam is being admitted to one end ofone cylinder, the valve is properly operated to have the steamexhausting from the other end of the same cylinder.

The valve members are supplied with crank arms 45 and 46 respectively,to which are pivoted eccentric rods 47 and 48. Each crank shaft carriesan eccentric, 49 and 50, Whose straps 51 and 52 are connected with theeccentric rods. These connecting mem bers are properly adjusted so thatsteam is admitted to one end of one cylinder, and at the same time tothe opposite end of the other cylinder. When the cylinders reach the endof their respective stroke, the exhaust port is cut out, and steam isadmitted, to drive the pistons to the opposite ends of the cylinders.Thereupon the valves are again shifted and the pistons each driven inthe opposite direction.

One of the shafts for the crank member, for instance the shaft 27 isextended and supported by a standard 60, and carries a flywheel orpulley 61 fast thereon. This will serve to carry the pistons over theirdead centers at the end of the stroke thereof, and will also serve tosupply power for any desired purpose. By this construction it will beseen that the use of a connecting rod between the crank and a piston isobviated, the crank pin of the crank being practically connected withthe piston, and therefore a considerable saving in space is effected;

ing in each cylinder, a pair of guides one on each cylinder, a pair ofpivoted crank members, a pair of pivoted blocks slidable in the guidesof the cylinders, a pair of crank pins one on each crank and engagingsaid blocks, each crank member having a. gear portion which gears meshto cause the cranks to rotate in unison, a valve device connected withthe one pair of adjacent ends of cylinders and also connected with anadmission for fluid under pressure, the valve being operated toalternately connect the cylinder ends to admit the pressure fluid, meansfor operating said valve from one of said cranks, a valve device at theopposite adjacent ends of the cylinders and connected with an exhaustport and operated to alternately connect such cylinder arms with theexhaust, and means for operating the latter valve from the other of saidcranks whereby the respective cylinders have their ends alternatelyconnected with the exhaust and-with the pressure fluid.

2. The combination of a pair of connected cylinders each having achamber in one side at an intermediate portion, a pair of pistons one ineach cylinder, a pair of channeled guides one on each said pistonsextending into one of said chambers, a pair of pivoted crank members, apair of blocks one slidable in each of said guide channels, a pair ofcrank pins one on each crank engaging one of said blocks, said crankmembers being geared together to rotate in unison upon reciprocation ofsaid pistons, a pair of valve devices one at each end of the cylinderscomprising a valve casing, a pair of admission ports leading to each ofthe cylinder ends adjacent thereto, the casing having a transverseconduit providing a passage, the casing also having a passage connectingwith one end there of, a tubular valve member arranged to oscillate inthe casing, the valve member having a closed chamber at one portion andprovided with three ports therein arranged to alternately connect withthe transverse passage of the two adjacent cylinder ends, the valvemember having another chamber open at the end thereof to said passage,and also having a lateral passage that is alternately opened to theadjacent ends of the cylinders, two eccentrics one on each of the crankmembers, a

crank arm connected with each of said valve members, and a connectingrod between each I l/Vitnesses:

FRED. J. DOLE, l/VILLIAM H. REID.

